But then he had to prance aside quickly lest he be rammed by the girl's small body. Not that it would've done much, but he never liked physical contact unless he'd orchestrated it first. A bark of laughter left his throat, but the mirth never reached his eyes. "Oh, and she's a bold one too. How unlike her mother."

"...yes." Mist studied her daughter, now that she was closer. The easy self-confidence so different from her own carefully cultivated poise. Someone who'd never bothered with doubt, who remained untouched by crippling fear--someone who walked through life on her own accord. Oh, she hoped it was so. "I'm glad of that."

"Hn, maybe she gets it from her father."

The mare winced, and she knew without looking that Confetti was smirking ever so slightly because of course he would see it. She knew that these games were all he had, spitting out all the broken bits that built him up. She knew it, she understood it because they'd both come from the same place. Abandoned. Oh, she knew it all, but she couldn't help wishing that she hadn't let him walk with her today. Not to this. Not to see her lay out all the answers, to become the vulnerable thing she'd spent so long trying to overcome.

But she couldn't change the past, only deal with the now. And in the now, Sirensong deserved answers.

"There's...a reason I never looked for you, never-" She took a breath. "Never thought to look for you. It's not just that I don't remember you--I can't. When I was abandoned, something happened. I lost everything, everything I had become since the first bond. Not just memories. Time."

She looked at her body--a young mare's, untouched by as many years as she should've had. "I suppose--when my bond found me, I was just as I'd been when I came into this world. A blank slate. A new start."

A touch of bitterness at the last words, something that rarely surfaced. Confetti remained a little distance away, his aura more curious now. Of course, he knew the mare's story, but it was new to hear it come directly from her.

Sirensong literally had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping at that stupid stallion. One more hit at her mother, and she was gonna lose it! She refocused on her mother as she started talking. Well her story was definitely interesting, she'd give it that. She smiled and went closer to give her mother a little nuzzle. It's okay. I understand. she said as she pulled back to give her mother a smile. I see no point in being upset over something outside of our control. Let's just get to work on making up for lost time. she finished as she went to rest her head on her mother's shoulders. They may have only just met, but she loved her mother so much already.

Mist relaxed tentatively into Sirensong's touch. Her daughter--she was so forgiving, so loving. And it wasn't that Mist wasn't grateful for that, but some small part was baffled by the strength of feeling from someone whom she hadn't known till moments before. It was...new. All of this so painfully new, like a fresh wound.

The frost bit at her again. She turned her head to look at the stallion. He seemed to be studying the pair, the bonds mending or forming--there was something intensely focused in his mercury eyes. She couldn't read him like she could the others, but she was feeling too tender right now to let him any deeper, regardless of whatever he was trying to find. Perhaps she was being cruel, but--

"Confetti, could you go on ahead to the clearing?" The stallion started, eyes narrowing. Mist drew a shuddering breath. "Please."

Mist felt a small pang, watching her companion canter off. But Sirensong was right, she couldn't control everything, but she could make the most of this, right here. "Have you, um," she hesitated a bit. "Have you met your father?"

Good riddance she thought as the stallion cantered off. Now it was just her and her mother. She stopped to truly look at her mother for the first time. Mist was so beautiful! Everything about her was absolutely lovely. No wonder Malevolence took an interest in her. But she knew her father wouldn't just be interested because she was pretty. She had to have an inner strength, and she was proving it by staying and confronting a past she doesn't remember. Sirensong felt herself swell with pride for her mother. She couldn't ask for more amazing parents. Speaking of Malevolence- Yes. Once. I didn't know it was him at the time. We ran into each other in the fields, exchanged a few pleasantries, then went our separate ways. His name is Malevolence, his affinity is Arctic Winds, he's green with dragon like wings and a tail similar to mine. she finished with a little tail shake toward her mother, showing off the spiked tail. She turned back towards her mother and made a simple request: Tell me about yourself.

'Malevolence.' The name brought nothing to mind but the definition she'd learned from Cedar's books, but Mist hadn't expected much else. Artic Winds, draconic judging by Sirensong's fiercer features. She wondered what might've drawn her to such a stallion--had she been so different, once upon a time? Had she been wilder, untamed, dangerous, even? Her daughter's words painted a past-mate a stark contrast to everything Cedar was, to everything she now held dear to her heart.

She'd never really know how much she had changed, what she'd lost or recovered of her soul and self. The present was all she had, but at least Sirensong was one of those remnants. The pain was sweeter, she supposed, that being removed from her own blood.

"There really isn't much to tell." She blushed slightly, still unused to speaking as easily as most. "I can't tell you much about your lineage, where you come from and all that. Your grandfather--my sire--he may have been a Rogue, but I'm not sure. Our kind isn't very much for records."

She nodded towards the treeline, the cherry grove and the dappled forest beyond. "We're right on the edge of my home, I suppose. My bonded's boundaries are a little hard to keep track of, but I always manage to find my way back. Her name is Sive--she's one of the ones who saved me."

A faint smile at the ground, as she recalled those first hazy months. It seemed so long ago, now, the dark days. Sive, Cedar, Hellion and all the others, each bringing her back to some semblance of self. "I have many people I care about--Sive bonds freely, more so than her sisters. We take care of each other, and even though she isn't around very much, well, I know I won't be lost again. Not like before."

Mist peered up at Sirensong, smile slightly nervous. It was odd, not feeling like a mother, but one nonetheless. She didn't know quite what to say, what gravity her words should have, if any. If she had any right to questions at all. "I guess you've found the same? Are you happy?"

I am very happy. she answered with a fond smile. Her mind drifted back to those weeks after she switched bondeds. The transition was harder than she had expected, but with Sunspot's perkiness and Paint's playfulness her confidence had no choice but to reemerge. Batsy, my bonded, is like our little sister and our older sister combined. We respect her but we want to look after her at the same time. All of my bondmates are like that. I'm fifth out of eight; nine if you count my bonded. They were tight knit and infighting was not allowed under any circumstances. The bat would not tolerate rude behaviour. Shaking out of her thoughts Sirensong suddenly realised how strange this must feel to her mother, and she immediately felt terrible for not realising it sooner. Are you alright? I'm sure this is a shock to you, but I don't expect anything from you. Her voice got a little softer as she looked up through her lashes. I just want to be your friend.